


Through no Fault of My Own

by accordingtomel



Category: Merlin (TV) RPF
Genre: First Kiss, Getting Together, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-13
Updated: 2017-04-13
Packaged: 2018-10-18 06:11:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,839
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10610916
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/accordingtomel/pseuds/accordingtomel
Summary: Bradley James would just like it to be known that absolutely none of this was his fault.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [gealach_ros](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=gealach_ros).



> This was originally posted on my LJ in December of 2009.
> 
> **Original A/N:** So, I wrote this for my dear friend gealach_ros' birthday the other day and finally decided to post it! Some thanks are in order though. First, to my wonderful "emergency" beta, issahime - who fixed my bad grammar and assured me the fic wasn't terrible. You are awesome! And then to my team of not-so-sekrit sekrit ninjas adelagia, sequanne and gwy for banning together to ~~incessantly harass~~ try and convince me to ship Bradley/Colin. Guess your mission worked...;) I'm sure you're all gloating right about now, hee! ;)

Bradley James would just like it to be known that absolutely none of this was his fault.

Actually, Bradley is quite innocent. In fact, if there was blame to be laid, it could fall almost entirely on the shoulders of one Colin Morgan. Shoulders that are broad, but well defined, sharply displaying his prominent collar bones, and are surprisingly strong with taut muscles; not that Bradley has noticed or anything…

But Colin is talking now, and Bradley thinks he should probably be listening.

“What was that out there? Are you trying to get us fired?” he demands, hands on his hips and eyes narrowed slightly in a very un-Colin-like pose.

Bradley stares blankly at Colin as if he has no idea what he could possibly be talking about. “What?” he asks dumbly.

“Don’t give me that, Bradley James. Did you forget the interview we just walked out of five minutes ago? The one in which you practically announced that Merlin and Arthur are going to snog in a future episode?”

Oh, _that_. Right.

Bradley waves a hand dismissively in Colin’s general direction, casually pointing out, “I think you’re exaggerating slightly there, mate.”

Colin looks decidedly unimpressed. “Really, Bradley? Because I don’t think that I am. If you’ll recall your answer to a particular question about the future for Merlin and Arthur…?”

Bradley frowns, folding his arms across his chest. “And what was wrong with that answer?”

Colin stares at him, hard, blue eyes piercing his. Big beautiful blue eyes that are comparable to the colour of the sky on one of those rare sunny days, or to the ocean, or to one of those birthstones – sapphire or topaz or whatever. He can’t really remember. It really is unbelievable sometimes, how much emotion Colin carries in his eyes, and Bradley can’t seem to stop himself from becoming mesmerized by them. Particularly at inopportune times. Such as right now. Colin is really quite distracting in general though, Bradley realizes.

His thoughts are interrupted by Colin poking him firmly in the shoulder. “Are you even listening to me?”

“Huh?” he retorts intelligibly. Well, no one has ever accused Bradley James of being a genius.

Colin sighs, running a hand through his dark hair. “The problem with your answer, Bradley, was the follow-up question in which you continued to dig yourself further into a hole.”

Bradley shrugs nonchalantly as if Colin is still completely over-reacting – which he very clearly is. “I was very vague. Didn’t go into any specifics.”

Colin sounds more than a little annoyed at the moment, and he’s tensing up, which Bradley can tell from the way he’s holding his body frame and leaning just slightly forward and to the left. It’s a classic sign of Colin stress, and he doesn’t even stop to think about why he knows this information. He Simply Does.

“No one’s going to interpret that comment as implying a good snogging, Colin,” Bradley tries to placate him, holding both hands up in mock surrender.

Colin proceeds to do an amazing impression of Richard’s Arched Eyebrows of Doom. Bradley makes a mental note to himself that he really needs to learn how to master that skill, because it is highly effective. “Have you been online lately? Or ever, for that matter? Even the newspapers, international and local media have commented on the ‘ _homoerotic subtext_ ’ on the show. There is virtually no other way to interpret your idiotic comment.”

Okay, so maybe it is slightly worse than he’s letting on. Bradley can concede to that.

But really, he stands firm in his conviction that this is all entirely Colin’s fault in the first place...

* * *

Things had started out fine, as they always did. The interviewer – Bradley could never quite remember his name, but he thought maybe it was Jack or John or something equally commonplace – introduced the show to those few unfortunate individuals in the audience who had never tuned in before, and then proceeded to introduce Bradley ( _as Prince Arthur and the future King of Camelot_ ) and Colin ( _as Merlin the warlock and manservant to Arthur_ ). He started off by asking some of the more standard questions about sword-fighting, armour, the CGI, etc. – the ones they’d both been asked a hundred times before and had developed pat answers for.

Bradley ended up fielding the next couple of questions, as they were about the Arthur and Guinevere relationship. He still hadn’t developed any pat answers for those questions, as he wasn’t entirely sure how he felt about them yet. ( _It of course had nothing to do with the somewhat recent realisation that he possibly, maybe, almost definitely had developed some pretty intense feelings for his co-star; not that Bradley was going to discuss such things._ )

Then John – or Jack, or possibly even Josh – started asking Colin about some of the stunts he’d had the chance to do lately, and Colin immediately lit up with excitement.

Bradley was trying to listen to the interviewer. He honestly and truly was. But Colin was sitting there talking animatedly, grinning from ear to ear, and Bradley instantly found his friend inexplicably more fascinating than anything the interviewer had to say. He watched the way Colin’s eyes crinkled at the corners with laughter, the ridiculous but strangely endearing way in which his ears jutted out from the side of his head, the movement of his stubble-covered jaw as he spoke, and the way his cheekbones literally seemed to pop out from his face, demanding immediate attention.

And it was all fine and dandy until Colin licked his lips. It was the quickest of movements – just a pink tongue darting out and in a flash was gone again – but it caught Bradley’s attention and suddenly he found himself with warm (and slightly inappropriate) feelings pooling in his belly, along with the inability to concentrate on anything else.

So when he heard something that sounded like a question being directed at him, Bradley shook his head absently. “Sorry?”

Jack shot him a confused glance and repeated the question. “Now that Arthur knows about Merlin’s magic, what’s in store for their relationship in future episodes?”

Bradley stared at him for a moment before he found his voice again. He pointedly ignored Colin’s gaze boring into the side of his head. “Well, Arthur doesn’t react all that well to the news initially, especially given the fact that Merlin has kept it a secret all this time. But Merlin is really important to Arthur, so he’s not going to let this destroy their relationship.”

Josh nodded at him. “So, you’re probably not allowed to say anything, but rumour has it there is a more intimate moment between them in the future which revolves around the fall-out from Merlin not telling Arthur about his magic sooner. Can you tell us anything else about that?”

Bradley wasn’t sure where that rumour came from, but he suspected that he might have inadvertently started it on another show he and Colin had done a couple weeks back. There was something like that being planned, but Bradley was currently unaware of the details, and he didn’t think it was quite as exciting as John was implying. He chanced a glance at Colin at this point, and instantly realised what a terrible idea that had been. Bradley suddenly found that all thoughts about how he was supposed to respond to the question vacated his mind and all he could think about was Colin’s luscious lips.

“Uh,” Bradley began elegantly, “I can’t say much. What I can say, though, is that Arthur does something quite unexpected to Merlin that has the potential to change their relationship in a drastic way. For the better. But you’ll have to stay tuned to find out what that is.”

To be honest, Bradley wasn’t even sure what he’d just said, but if the look on Colin’s face was any indication, it probably wasn’t the right answer.

* * *

Bradley finishes mentally reliving the scene to find that Colin is still staring him down, seemingly waiting for some sort of response from him.

He thinks he should probably say something.

“This is all your fault, you know.”

If the look on Colin’s face is any indication, that probably wasn’t the wisest thing to say.

“Have you gone completely nutters?” Colin blasts, throwing his arms up in defeat. He starts to pace slowly back and forth in the green room. “How is this _my_ fault? _You’re_ the one who was yammering on in there today. They’re going to fire us. I just know it.”

He continues to pace nervously, and it’s making Bradley feel tired just watching him. But he’s definitely overreacting now, and they certainly can’t have that.

“Colin,” Bradley starts. “Colin, Colin, Colin… They’re not going to fire us. Stop being ridiculous.”

He’s still pacing, looking all broody all of a sudden, and Bradley really doesn’t like it. He instinctively reaches out and places a hand on Colin’s shoulder, turning him around so they’re standing face to face. “ _Col_ ,” he starts again, speaking slowly and deliberately. “If they’re going to fire anyone – which they _won’t_ – it will be me and not you. Now stop that. You’re acting like a bloody school girl.”

Colin’s eyes widen comically and he lets out a slow breath. Bradley can feel his warm breath on his cheek, and it’s then that he remembers his hand is still on Colin’s shoulder, and he can probably remove it any time he feels like it. Except he doesn’t particularly feel like removing his hand. And Colin doesn’t seem to be complaining. So he doesn’t. Why mess with a good thing?

Colin sighs and nods, the ghost of a smile forming on his lips. Bradley does his best not to stare. Or to fantasize about what it would feel like to take one of those lips between his teeth, or to suck on it until he hears Colin moan. 

“We’ve been on three chat shows this month and you’ve done practically the same thing every time,” Colin points out a moment later. “What’s going on Bradley?”

It is at this exact moment that Bradley realises with a sense of abject horror that Colin’s absolutely correct. He _has_ been in this state of mind for at least a couple of months, possibly ( _definitely_ ) even longer. He can’t even honestly pin down when, exactly, his feelings for Colin started to change, but he suspects it started during the filming of the last series, maybe even before then. At first it had been little things – Bradley noticing that Colin really did have a nice smile, or that he looked kind of cute with the way his ears stuck out, or that in spite of his slim build he really was quite fit. But somewhere along the line it had morphed into something a little more intense and a little more serious – Bradley wondering what it might be like to kiss Colin, or feeling a dark stab of jealousy whenever Colin paid attention to a woman, or looking for every opportunity to touch him. Colin’s become somewhat of an addiction for Bradley as of late, and it would definitely explain his recent flighty behaviour.

It dawns on Bradley, however, that Colin’s still waiting for some sort of response from him.

_You’re incredibly distracting. I can’t concentrate on anything other than you, so I say utterly idiotic things without thinking_ , is what he’d like to say. But he doesn’t, because Bradley James is also not known for being particularly bold. At least not when it comes to his love life – or lack thereof. What he says instead is, “Nothing. I’ve just been really knackered lately, what with all the intense filming again. I’m getting weak in my old age.” It really is a rather brilliant answer, he decides, giving himself a mental pat on the back.

Colin just gives him this _look_. Bradley recognises it well. It’s one of his _are-you-really-trying-to-shit-me-because-I-can-see-right-through-you_ looks. Colin has really turned the glare into a fine art. It’s quite impressive, actually.

“I don’t believe you,” Colin states frankly. He’s never been one to beat around the bush. “If I didn’t know you better, I’d almost think you _want_ Merlin and Arthur to kiss.”

Bradley tries to chuckle, or scoff, or do something – _anything_ – that would imply that _no, he does not want Merlin and Arthur to snog, thank you very much_. Except that maybe he does just a little. Or, preferably, he’d like Bradley and Colin to snog. A lot. And maybe do some other fun things that he is most definitely not going to start thinking about right now, lest he lose the last remaining strands of self-control he has.

After an obviously belaboured pause, Bradley finally manages to get out, “No?”

Which is incredibly convincing.

Colin seems to think so too. “No? You don’t sound very sure of yourself there Bradders.”

“I mean, of course not,” Bradley amends, scrunching his face up as if he’s not a fan of the idea at all. At least, that’s how he hopes he looks. Colin shoots him a genuinely perplexed look, though there is something slightly dark in his eyes.

“Then what’s going on with you lately?” Colin asks again, grabbing onto his wrist. Bradley tries not to gasp as his gaze falls to Colin’s hand on his arm. His thumb is pressed gently against the side of his wrist, and Bradley wonders if Colin can feel the erratic beat of his heart pulsing through his veins. “You’ve been more out of it than I’ve ever seen you: you’re saying all kinds of strange things in our interviews, and this isn’t the first time you’ve blamed me for your bizarre behaviour. I don’t understand.”

In a surprisingly bold move, Bradley slides his hand from Colin’s shoulder ( _he is so grateful that he left it there in the first place_ ) to the back of his head and gently threads his fingers in the hair at the nape of Colin’s neck, making his intention painfully clear. He leans in close, speaking directly into Colin’s left ear. “It’s your fault because _you’re_ distracting to me. I can’t concentrate when you’re around because all I want to do is kiss you senseless,” he whispers huskily, and feels Colin shiver beneath the touch of his fingers.

Bradley pulls back slightly to meet his wide-eyed gaze, but is still heavily invading Colin’s personal space. _This is it_ , Bradley thinks. He’s laid the cards on the table now and it’s entirely up to Colin what he wants to do with this new piece of information.

The world seems to slow as they stare intently at one another. Colin is breathing heavily and Bradley can practically hear his heart pounding in his chest. They are so close to each other that Bradley can literally feel the heat radiating off of Colin’s body, and he fights the urge to slam him against the wall and start doing naughty things to his mouth and neck and...

“Bradley, I…” Colin mutters softly, voice barely above a whisper. He swallows heavily. And then he is kissing Bradley hungrily, almost desperately, pulling at his t-shirt and clawing at his back in an attempt to eliminate the space between them. Bradley gasps slightly in shock, but recovers quickly, angling his mouth to match Colin’s perfectly and wrapping his other arm around Colin’s waist. Colin’s tongue runs along Bradley’s bottom lip and he shudders with pleasure, opening his mouth and inviting Colin’s invasion.

It starts off hot and desperate, like they can’t get enough of one another and are afraid this is their one and only opportunity to experience one another. There is grabbing and touching and pulling and moaning. But soon the pace slows, and they get into a rhythm, languidly tasting each other, sucking on tongues and lips and melding their bodies together like they were always meant to fit together. Bradley presses into Colin then and backs him up against the wall just behind them, lightly thrusting his hips against Colin’s. Colin lets out a deep, throaty groan, and Bradley thinks he might just come right then and there.

But a sound from outside the room temporarily forces Bradley’s brain into some semblance of coherency and he remembers then that they’re still in the green room and that anybody could walk in on them at any moment in time. Reluctantly he pulls back a little from Colin, and Colin actually lets out a whimper. “We could get fired for this, you know. Anyone could walk in at any time,” he breathes, running his thumb idly across Colin’s stubbly chin and struggling to catch his breath.

“Mmm, don’t care,” Colin murmurs, fisting his hands in Bradley’s hair and bringing their lips back together again.

Bradley decides that he’s willing to risk being fired when Colin is kissing him like this, like he can’t get enough of Bradley. But if anyone asks, he’d still like it to be known that absolutely none of this was his fault. 

Well, maybe just a _tiny_ bit was.


End file.
